It is with profound sadness that I write to inform you of the passing of Trustee Emeritus Dr. Cornelius “Neal” Barton ’58, ’63G, ’66 Ph.D. on July 12.  

Neal, who received his three degrees in metallurgical engineering, was a trusted and valuable member of the Board and regularly attended meetings and campus events. He served as an active trustee from 1991 to 2011.

Neal was a cherished colleague, an avid RPI hockey fan, and a staunch supporter of RPI. He served as our Acting President between April 1998 and July 1999, and guided RPI through the launch of the mobile computing initiative and the B.S. in Information Technology program. The Focus Research Center in interconnect technology was also established during his tenure, and the Lally School of Management garnered a gift from Kathleen and Paul Severino ’69 to establish the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship.

Neal was former President and CEO of Dorr-Oliver Incorporated, which designs and manufactures machinery for specialized processes, including liquid-solid separation and thermal processing for the food, environment, mineral, pulp and paper, and chemical industries.

He chaired the volunteer committee for the successful fundraising campaign, completed in 1996, to renovate the Walker Laboratory as a state-of-the-art chemical laboratory and classroom facility. Neal was a proud alumnus and his leadership in alumni activities earned him the Alumni Key Award and Albert Fox Demers Medal. His activities included chairing the Southern Connecticut Leadership Gift and New Century Campaign Committees, the Patroon Society, and National Rensselaer Fund.

A recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the Rensselaer Alumni Association and a member of the Stephen Van Rensselaer Society of Patroons, Neal was also a member of Sigma Xi, the academic honor society.

Viewing will be held on July 20 at 9:00 am at Bouton Funeral Home in Georgetown, Connecticut. Service will follow at 11:00 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Church in West Redding, Connecticut.

Our hearts go out to his wife, Carolyn, and his sons, Michael ’89, ’91 MBA, Terence ’92, ’01 MBA, his daughters Ila and Kathy Conway, and their grandchildren at this time of great loss.